Train pipe coupler



June 30, 1931. E. QHERMANN l TRAIN PIPE COUPLER Filed- 0G13. 18 1927 3 SheetfSFSheet l June 30, 193.1.

E. O. HERMANN TRAIN PIPE COUPLER 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18

l Il rlliine INVENTOR. U. 6h T www.

/ TORNEYS.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 NVENTOR.,

l TTORNEYS.

June 30, l931. E. o. HERMANN l y TRAIN PIPE COUPLER Filed oct, 18, 1927 '25 iiioperation-v y .t v A further object of-myi-nvention is .to-pro# Patented June 1931VV EnwARn o. IIERMANNYOF Minn VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNo-a rIO'COBB CONNECTORy i COMPANY, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,l A CORPORATION or ARIZONA Appnqafiqn filed Onweer 1s,` 19a7. serial Ne.- zzesvaf pipes of two adjacent railway' ycars vand my object is to devise a connecting means 'of the 5 above type which, will simultaneouslyland automatically couple '-rthews'team p1pe,air

brake train pipe and Lsignal line pipe A'and maintain a ytight joint under` all ordinary runningconditions..v

Another object'of my invention is to vprovidea novel formof spportwhichwill permit suflicient movement to avoid aibreak ni the Connections due -to train movements.

further obj ect of my invention is to provide a novel Ji'orm ofcentering means for my.-

train pipe Coupler which "will maintain it centrally of the car'` when ldisconnectedso that-,.when approached byy a cooperating couple,jit will align therewith." 'y i Anotherobj ect of my invention isto prowithin-*the train pipeline may be utilized yto getherand seal the'jo'ints when thevr sameare vide automatic means v.whereby the above- `mentioned pneumatic pressure may be r`eleased upon an accident-al break in the train eat-O' thereby 'permit the couplers to readily i separate and thus avoid damage thereto.

Another Object Of'inyfinventionis tof pro- V vide'means whereby my, coupler Vcan be 'read-Y ily 4opened up so as-'to lfacilitate inspection andrepair tothe normal wearingparts.

A lfurther object of my invention is to provide in a coupler ofV the'abovetype, an auxiliary or emergencyairrelief valve in the cou# pler head which will be opened up',-'sh'ould the" '40 couplers be accidentally separated, as when the train parts/due to pulling out ofthe c coupler'h'ead to relieve the'train brake pipev ofpressureand thereby set the brakes. f. Other objects and advantages will'appear as the descriptionwtaken inconnectionl with the accompanyingl'drawings5l proceeds For al better understanding of my invention, reference should be had to the: accom'- lpanying drawings in which Ij have` showna '53 preferred,embodiment ofmy 1nvention.-v1t

pler and# sections' through its' supporting tmembers, .Y

vide means whereby the 'pneumaticpressure f "fis to be understood thatA 'in adapting the same to meet the many conditionsv that may arise, various' Icha'riges in the form, proportion'and invention.

In Vthe drawings,

to without departing 'from the nature ofthe tioi-r connected below. the coupler head,

Fig. Q is a fr'ont`-elevation,partiallyiin section,' of uthe elements shown ii-ifFigf.l l and` 'ftafkenalo'n'g line :EI-elf, f

-minor details of construction m'ay beresorted`y 'Y de' i Fig. 3 is a plan! view of the; train pipecou- Fig'.` 4l is a side elevation of coupler prol#l jjected from Fig. 3 with thefguidfe member removed," Y Y Fig.- 5 is a' vertical 'sectional View of the'V l couplertalien'along line V`V fof 3,

Fig. 6 is a horizontalvk sectional View taken'` g 1 along line VI-VI ofFig; 4'; f v- Fig. 7` sa plan View, partially invsection; of the centering ineans'an'd coupler taken along im@ vII-'VptyFia l,

Figzl 8 is a *sectionalv view side elei'ation'projected from? y Fig. and showing the valvek operati-ng' .means, andl I f Y y. y y through the 'train .pipe coupler taken along line VIII-'Vlllof Fig. 1l is a partial' sectionall view of they centering mechanism Ytaken along line XI;-

XI of Fig. 7.

Referring now particularly to thedfaw;

ings the numerall0'- may generally -desigf .nate .an ordinaryy car coupler, the interljoclf`l ing heads of whichl are mounted on; draw'- bars yll yof'any ordinary construction. It will fect interlocking of the coupler elements with in` all possiblevariations of pOsitiO'mfinCludtwo ycoupler hief i; andjit will alsobe under- Aingthe relative verti'caldisplfacement of the properly interlock under all conditions in which car couplers will interlock.

By referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that my improved train pipe coupler is supported from the car framing 12 by a pair of brackets 13. rlhe brackets 13, in turn, engage and support a centering mechanism 1li which is to be hereinafter more fully described. Extending from the centering mechanism 14, I provide a pair of shoulders 15 which project downwardly from the centering mechanism 11i and engage the rear end of my improved coupler body, which in the drawings is designated by the numeral 16. The shoulders 15, in conjunction with the centering mechanism 14, tend to hold the coupler body 16 in its normal position against longitudinal, transverse and angularl displacement, but is so designed that the movements necessary in rounding curves, etc., will not be interfered with.

In addition to the shoulders 15, I provide a link 17 which is carried by the centering mechanism 14 and extends downwardly where it engages and supports the weight of the coupler body 16. The link 17 is secured to the coupler body 16 at its center of gravity and is connected through a swivel joint 13 to rollers 19 which roll freely longitudinally in the centering` mechanism lil as will hereinafter appear. Adjacent the point where the shoulders 15 overlap the coupler body 16, I provide a pair of cheeks or plane surfaces 20 against each of which'two rollers 21 engage. The rollers 21 are carried by a follower block 22 which is spring pressed outwardly from the shoulders 15 by means of springs 23. The rollers 21, by reason of the springs 23, serve to hold the coupler body 16 in an advanced position so that the engaging coupler will be fully seated before the cars have been completely coupled and at the same time permit the aforementioned freedom so essential in couplers of this type.

Before passing on to a more detailed description of the coupler body 16, attention should be called to the disconnecting mechanism which I have provided in my device. Depending from one of the brackets 13 upon a pivotalY support 24, is a stop 25. The stop 25 is freely movable toward the rip` it as viewed in Fig. 1, but is prevented from swinging to the left by a lug 26. In with the stop 25, I provide a lever 27 which is mounted upon a manual release rod 23 and operates an automatic coupler releasing means which to be described more fully later in this descriiition. Connected to the lever 27, I show a link 29 which is attached at its opposite end to a late-hing means 30. provision of these features is to prevent. damage to or dropping` of one of the. coupler bodies, should a drawbar pullout. ln the event of suoli a contingency, the lever 27 will engage the stop 25 and further movement in this direction will cause it to rotate upon its aXis and release the coupler securing means. At the same time, as a result of the link 29, the latching means 30 will also be released and permit the coupler to open and thus prevent any possible damage to the engaging parts of the cooperating couplers. In these figures of the drawings, I have also illustrated the usual manual coupler releasing mechanism and have purposely shown one of the type which is operated from its underside so as to snow the adaptability of my invent-ion to cars having this type of coupler. This releasing mechanism comprises the usual hand-operated bar 31 with its offset arm 32 connected to the pin releasing trigger 33. In the completed installation, itis proposed to connect the bar 31 and the manual release rod 28 together so that both the train coupler and the pipe coupler can be released by asingle operation from either side of the car.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 3, A, 5 and 6 of the drawings, wherein I have illustrated in detail some of the more important features of the pipe coupler head. Upon an inspection of Fig. 3, it will be seen that the coupler body 16 is provided with an extending tongue and a hinged guide member 36 which cooperate with the corresponding' parts of a` similar coupler when in operation. The tongue 35 has projections 37 and 38 which extend at right angles thereto and form a holding means in conjunction with the lat-ch 30 for the guide member 36, the projections 37 and 38 being provided with grooves into which the latching means 30 engages and thus rigidly maintains the guide member inV place. r he guide member 36 is hinged at 39 to the coupler body 16 and is provided with a liared end portion l0 from the top and bottom edge of which project respectively additional guiding means l1 and 42. rllhe member 36, by reason of the hinge 39, can, when the latch 3G is released, be swung outwardly as shown in this ligure of the drawings, so tl at inspection and repair can be conveniently made. At the hinge 39, the guide member 36 is provided with a shoulder 43 which engages the plane surface plate 20 so that when the guide member 36 is moved to either of its extreme positions, it will be held in such position.

In carrying out this feature, I have taken advantage of the springs 23 by bringing the shoulder 43 against the plate 20 so that oli'- center pressure will be brought to bear upon the shoulder i3 and thereby maintain the guide member 36 as described above in either of its extreme positions. rlhe guide member 36, in addition to the above, is provided with a spring 44 which is adapted to engage the projecting tongue 35 of a corresponding coupler and cause it to slide into contact with the correspondingtongue. The tongue 35 is proiis-fem vided Witliavvearing plate 45 whichextend's.

over the end thereof and vvhich is readily re- ,f

placeable so that as the; same Wears out, it may bereplaced bya; new one This Wearing' pla'te'liV eXtends back along the' ,tonguev 35 to a point 'substantiallyfin line Vvvith the outlet ports andV is tapered down so as not to Ainter- 1 fere ywith the proper action ofthe gaskets arH ranged therein-" in addition t@ the piane 45, i imepfoviaeaj a movable plate'j46. which is hingedlat the point 47 so thatv it vhasaliinited outward movement, Which, When properly lbrought into play', as vvill be hereinafter set forthvill operate toforce the/cooperating ports 'of the respective tongues into intimate and effective. Contact With each other.

In Fig. 4, the tongue guide member 36 entirely removed so as to expose the engaging face of the couplerto portions which project ,between the above WithFig. 5 ofthe clrayvings,'but,before passa. m ing from Fig. 4, attention is called topamov-AV gaskets. ,down and ldlseng-.tge corresponding..projecal spring These projections are. tapered tions on the cooperating coupler when the corresponding gaskets are substantially. adj acent each other and' thus do not interfere With the sealing of the ports in the manner to be presently 'described'.

` In connectionvv With this view ofl thegdranvvings, rattention-fis directed, to the plugged.

holes 54, and 56 which I havegprovidedto receive the usual trainpipe connectors during the transition'period, or inv other Words.,v

during that period oftimewvhen the cars of the system are beingequipped Wlfll'my imi" proved coupler.v v, l

YA steam'trap '57 of the'usuajl type, through which v"condensed steam or Waiter may drain from the coupler hea/d,lis also shown in this Projecting out o-fY the extreme' end of the tongue 85 are three "valve rods crstems WhichV 'If' have designated respectively? from` top to bottom bythe numerals 58, 59.V and ;,l

The valvestems 58 and 59 are connected .toA valves 671A and 62 whichcontrolrespectively thesignal air an'dbra'keair'pipe lines and the stem 60 controls a valve681in' the *train` steam pipe line. l l Will be discussed more fully inconnectio-n able abutment' 64 which is normally'inline with and engages' theapproaching valve VVstem 59 of acoo-perating coupler. lThe abut-V 1nent64 is normally held against a rest 65 by is shoivn` with the,v

[The valves 61, 62,"and 63* 66. '.Apin 67'projects from the farv side of the abutment64 (as shown in Fig. 6)'

I'Which'is engaged lever 68" attached to the release rodV 28 and' When they release rod 28 is rotated,` theI abutment Will be raised upv Wardly out of engagement vvithA its cooperating valve stem '59,H andv permit the stem to move outwardly from the tongue' 35 to thereby release they pressureresponsive sealing or holding means which is to be later discussed'. While the lever 68 yis secured to the rod;28

andfnormally operated thereby, ,itA can' also p be vraised in emergency by a 52 formed integral4 with lever 27.

By referring to Fig..

that veach of these",compartments is divided 7 5,'into which the aforementioned valves 61,

62and 68' areA respectively mounted; f'lhe chambers klon the'port side of the valves 6l,

62, and 63 Will be4 referred to hereinafter asV thefportl chambers 7 6, 77 and" 7 8; Thercomf partmentsO, 71 and 7 2are provided resp'ecf tively with inlets 79, 79 and 7 9" 'to which the usualuniversal pipe joining couplings are attached and the compartment -71 also .contains` it vv'il'l be seen that l the-coupler body l6ris divided longitudinallyv i into.v three compartments 70,171 and 72, and.

into two chambersv bypartitions 7 8, 74 andv an emergencyval-ve 69v which. operated by the lever 27,'as lwill be pointed out in 'donnedV l tion with a description of Figs..8', 9.andjl0 of the drawings. The valve 69eXha=usts `into an opening extending longitudinally of lthe Y coupler head between the brake air and steam compartments. The @port p 'chambers 76 yand Y 78 rare 'substantially alike, each havingrespectively fvalv'e Yseats 8O and 81 andV stuffing boxes 82 and 83,"through vvhicli the' valve Vstems 58' and60^project- The stuffing boxes 82 and 83`V form aguide for the outer .end of the valve 'stems l58 and 60 and a second guide means is provided in the other .si'deo-f the valves 6l andf 68 bymeans of bosses 84 andr .85. Surrounding: the valve stems 58 and()I between the bosses 8 4' and 85 and the valves,

valves' 61 and 681normallyk closed'.

i Referring noivto the central chamber 77`r 'i andits valve 62, tcngetlier With'its' cooperatin 6, it Will be'seen that'thechamber 77 is provided withk a cylindrical lining88A have l Y 89 Which-*cooperates with the y valve-f 62. It Willalso be seen'thatthe valvey ing av'alve seat Ishoiv sp'rings86 and 87 which maintain the i' Y' ingy mechanism", which isy further'illustrated u stem'packing in this chamber iscarried by 1 apiston 90`vvhich is movable longitudinally within the cylinder `88. The piston 90-is ac tuated-.by the brake pipe., air pressure Vin one`n` direction and by a spring91in vtheV reverse direction. flhe 'spring 91v is seatedL against" an abutment 92;v through Which the'valve stem 59 projects. p The cylindrical lining '88 has a v:paii'yof slots 93' at diametri'callyopposite 'points and the piston 90 carries ayoke 94.

vhaving stub'y shafts 95 which extendthrough these slots, Each of thes'tub shafts 95 car- A ries roll-ers 96 and 97'Whicli cooperatelrs'pee f tively with raceways 93 and 99, as shown in Fig. 6. The raceways 99 are carrie?l by the movable plate 110 and are arranged at an angle to the raccways 98, so that when the piston is moved outwardly in response to air pressure, the plate 46 will be pressed outwardly where it will enga-ge its cooperating guide member 36 and thus exert a pressure to hold the parts in a tight or sealed lit.

In conjunction with the piston 90, l provide within the cylindrical lining 83 and above the head oit the piston, an auxiliary valve 100. The valve 100 is provided with a guiding support 101 which maintains the valve concentric with the stem 59 and permits it to move axially therealong. Between the valve 100 and the piston 90, l insert a stationary stop 102 and interposen between this stop and the valve 100, is a spring 103., which tends to hold the valve 100 against a pin 104 projecting through the stem 59. This valve 100 cooperates with a` by-pass port 105 which extends diametricaliy through the valve seat S9 and communi with tee atmosphere and, when opened, relie-ves the piston 90 of pressure so that it can release the holding means when the valve (32 is closed by movement ot' the abutment For a. better understanding ot the construction ot the centering mechanism 1li, reference should be had to Fi 7 oi the drawings in connection with the showing of Fig. 1. In Fig. 7, the upper bracket 13 is shown` in section and on the other side a ccnteging` mechanism, the bracket spring housing is shown in section. Enclosed in the housing, which shall designate by the numeral 100, I show a spring 107. The spring 107 holds the centering mechanism in normal position against stops 108 ano permits it to move forward a limited distance when tension is exerted between th., couplers. rEhe housings 106 are cut away at their inner bottom side to receive Vlianges 109 upon a frame 110 formed as a. part olf the centering mechanism, so that the same operate 'freely therein as the spring 107 is compresse-d.. rllhe trout part ot the 'traine between the flanges 109 is formed into a Zshaj, ed cross section (as shown in Fig. 11) and arranged cent-rally between the lian-ges 109, l provide a slot or opening 111 through which pivoted arms 112 and 113 extend. The arms 112 and 113 are pivotcd to the centcrin mechanism by a plv* ot bolt 114, upon which the movable parts othe centeringl mechanism also pivot. arms 112 and 113 are located between an ein tension 115 integral with the shoulders 15 and a cover plate 110 and entend through the opening 111 where they en e 117 formed upon the cover plate 1 i Arranged between the arms 112 and 113, I show a. spring 113 which tends to hel the arms apart and against the stops 117. From the above, it will be evident that the ortension 115 and the cover plate 116 together with the coupler will move a unit about the pivot 114i and that the Z-shaped frame portion between the flanges 109 will remain sub stantially stationary. lt is to facilitate this relative movement between th e trame and the coupler unit and to relieve the pivot 114 of transverse stress that the front portion of the trame is made in Z-shape cross section. Cooperating with this Z portion of the trame l provide a pair ot rollers 119 upon the cover plate 11G near the sides thereof. 'lhese rollers 119 rest upon the inner web ot the frame and support the weight of the movable parts in conjunction with the pivot 114. Only one ot the rollers 119 is shown in the drawings as the cover plate is broken away to show other features at the pointwhere a second roller 119 would be shown. Other and similar rollers 120 also provided which engage the underside et the enter web of the trame at radially displaced points in line vith the rollers 119 and serve to prevent upward move-ment et the. centering mechanism with respect te the frame. 1n connection with this ligure of the drawings, it should be noticed that the stops 117 (previously referred to) are located radially in line with the ends oit the. openingY 1.11 and cooperate therewith in manner to be pointed out in describing the operation oli my device.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 8, 9 and 10 oit the drawings, wherein I have shown enlarged views of the aforementioned emergency or train pipe relief valve. Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the center linel et the valve 69 and it shows a port 121 leading from the compartment 71 to the atmosphere rThe valve G9 and the lever 63 are both secured 'to the sh att 23 and move therewith when it is rotated, due to hand operation. The valve 69 also carries a member 122 having a projection 123 which cooperates with a linger 124 carried by a sleeve 1.26 to which the lever 27 is secured, so that, upon movement oi the lever 27thc lever 68 and the Valve (39 will also rotate and thereby raise the abutment (ll ard open the valve G9 to exhaust the train pipe. The valve 69 is formed as a hollow plug and is pressed into its seat by a spring 127 interposed between the valve 69 and a plate 12S.

ln Fig. 10 it will be seen that the valve 69 has two ports 129 and 130 diametrically opposite each other which form a. passageway therethrough.

The operation of the supporting means which l have provided for my coupler isl as follows: lilith the parts in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the coupler body 10 will be held slightly in advance of its normal position by the springs 23 and when engaged by a cooperating coupler, the springs 23 will be compressed so as to exert a pressure tending to held the two coupler bodies together` Asthe cooperating coupler approaches, its

tongue '35, as well. as the tongue 35 ofthe il lustrated couplerwill be guided bythe guide members 36 into their respective positions Vso sorb any shock and because of the mounting as pro-vided upon the link 17, the rollers 19A will permit the coupler .heads considerable freedom so that they will become seated in their normal operating position.

In the eventthat the train` couplers .should 'be loose upon the car and, as `aresult,the pipeI couplers should, be pulled outwardly,`,the springs 107' will be compressed and the .lower part of the support,'including the centering mechanism, will'be allowed to move ,outwardly without'danger of the pipecou-l pler ports being disaligned.V However, should this voutwardmovement become eX- cessive, the stop `25.will become eifefctive and engage the lever 27.7 If thisfforward movement is sufficientto move the lever 27 it will automatically operate the coupler rel p f'two adjacent couplers come together, the

i leasingfmechanism and open vthejvalve 69.

- to permit the couplers to move mand out.

" alignment when rounding curves.

This will permit the kcouplers to pull apart without being damaged. F rom the above, `it

will be seen that the coupler :bodyis suspended entirely upon the link 17 ands-is only guided or steadied by therollersr21which en.

gagethef face plate 20. l L

Attention is now directedto the centering aspect of my present form of support. The

gitudinally therein upon thejflanges'lOQlso as with respect tothe ear .framel The frameY 110 carries the pivot 114 and thuspro-vides a pivotal support for the shoulders 15, the ex-A tension-'115` and the cover rplatef116, so'that they will move as a unit'about `the' pivot 114 and thus permit the couplers toV remain ?in #This aspect of my invention is best shown in Fig. 7'.'

of the drawings and it operates asfollows: f

When the vparts are Ain the :position shown, centrally of the frame 110, thespring118will v'be fully extended andthe pivoted arms 112 and 113 will each engage theirlr'espectiveend ofthe yslot 111. When .the arms 112 and 113 are in this; position they Vwill alsoengage the adjacent stops 117 .carried by theextension 115 and, as a result, the parts will beheld Y centrally of each other.` This'isbecause' the spring 118, by reasonof its engagement with will engage thepivoted arm 113 and'move lit away from its engagement with the .end of the slot 1711, andj as a result, thespring` 118 will be compressedjagainst *they other pivoted Y kbecause it is free to move away from thepivV` arm 112 which is held against the other end of s the 'slot 111, which is 'always stationary with `respect to thisradial-movement. The upper stop' 117 will not interfere with this operation 112 would leave its end of' the slot1`1-1 'by f reasonk of pressure exerted upon bythe upper ,stop 11-7 and the pivoted arm 113 would engage its end of the slot 111and the tongue would be permitted to move in the 'reverse directionvby compressing the sprlng 118. When thel tongue 1s again released, `it

would" immediately return again to its'r no1` malgposition under the influence of the springll, as previously described. ,s

' The operation of the other features ofmy invention can bes-t bedescribedin connection g `v with the showing in Figs. 4f, 5 and 6 of theV drawing-s'. VAs the cooperating tongues 35 of wearing plates 15 will engage andslide over veach other and thus protect the' gaskets 51, 52

and 53. Vhenthe abovegaskets are substantially in alignment, thefengagin'g wearing plates will'have passed over eachother and,V

4by reason ofthe tapering off inthe-ends A thereof, the gaskets will be 'permitted to en gage each other. Ata point Vjust before. the

gaskets and the vrrespective ports align, the

of the throat formedfbetween the tongue and-theg'uide member 36 and will be pushed .vbaic-kfinto thetongue35, thereby opening` the K l lvalves 61, -62 63, and establishing a circulating Apassagewaybetween the couplers through the. ports 118, 1.9 and `50. It should b'elnoted .here that the end ofthe throat,

` above referred to, is'prorvided with ltwoixed shoulders or abutments, against which ther valve stems 53 and (i0 engage and that-the :.ILQU Valverrods 58, 5.9 andwill engage the endY 1 movable abutment T641` presents a surfacein 1 alignment therewith, against which the valve stem 59 engages, yso` that .ea-ch of thevalve` I stems is caused to kmove anxequal'distance.

l/Vhen' the two rengaging couplers are fully seated, thevvalves Q61, 62 an'dl63 will bejcom-l l `pletely opened. During thisl operation, the K rValve stem 59 by reason of the abutment 6%, will be Vmoved to the Vrightas vieWedIinFigS. 5 and f6.: This will open the valve62land per# mit the yspring 103'to seat" the auxiliary valve nection with the valve it should benoted that it is provide'dwithan opening through 100 and. close the'by-pass ypor-t 105. nconits centerand thus it Vdoes not interfere with piston `90,whic-h is ,freely movable .withinl thecylinder 88, will forced outwardly in ya free circulation of air throughV the valve62. p As `the brake pipe pressure builds "up, the

each of the couplers, the pressure therebehind being equalized in the adjacent tongne and against the adjacent piston 90. This movement of the pistons 90 will carry the rollers 9G and 97 along their cooperating raceways 98 and 99 and force the movable plate i6 outwardly against engaging guide member 36 to thereby exert a pressure tl'iereagainst and force the aligned gaskets into a tight or sealed lit with each other, where they will remain as long as the couplers are operating.

From tie above, it will be seen that after the coupler heads are engaged, additional means are operated to securely press them into tight contact with eac-h other at the gaskets, where they will be held by air pressure until released. by a subsequent. operation which l. shall non7 describe. Normally, a coupler of this type should remain tightly coupled as long as the cars are coupled together and I have therefore provided manual means which may be operated simultaneously with or ahead of the train coupler eleasing mechanism, so that the train pipe coupler secining means Will be released before or simultaneously with the release of the car couplers. This means is in the form of a manually operated. release rod 28 which, as previously stated, can, if desired, be operated in conunction with the train coupler release rod 3l. When the release rod 2S operated it will raise the abutment Gil out of alignment With the valve stem 59 and permit the valve 62 to close in response to the action of a spring 62. This movement of the valve stem 59 will carry the auxiliary valve 100, by reason of the pin 10a, away from the by-pass port 105 and permit the pressure above the piston 9() to exhaust into the atniosphere. rflic. piston 9() Will then move to the right in responso to the spring 91 and thus carry the rollers 96 and 97 along the trachways 98 and 99 so as to permit the movable plate 46 to move inwardly and relieve the coupler heads of the sealing pressure exerted thereby. The couplers can then be parted Without any danger to the parts. Under normal operating conditions, the release rod 28 .vill be operated before the couplers are placed under tension and when the rod 28 is operated, the couplers will be completely released so that they can be pulled apart as the cars separate Without any strain being exerted upon the coupler supports.

Should the cooperating couplers be under tension when the release rod 28 is operated, the springs 107 Will permit suilicient movement of the couplers with respect to the cars to prevent danger While the pneumatic release aspect of my device is operating. ln the event that the pneumatic releasing features of my device should fail for any reason, as for instance when acar traction coupler pulls out, the stop upon the bracket 13 will engage the lever 27 and cause it to turn the rod 28 and raise. the lever 68, thereby moving the abutment 6d and also causing the emergency valve 69 to open, as previously described. In addition to the above operation, the lever 27 will, by reason of the link 29, pull the latch 3() out of engagement with the arms 87 and 38 and permit the guide arm 36 held thereby to move outwardly and thus mechanically release the couplers. lt should be noted here that the link 29 is connected to the latch 30 by an open slot so that it Will pull free thereof. lt should be understood that this latter releasing feature of my device is only effective under eXtreme conditions and is primarily intended to operate Where danger would result to the couplers or their supports, should they not be parted.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. ln a train pipe coupler system, a coupler head having ports adapted to cooperate with similar ports upon a cooperating coupler head, a fluid pressure responsive means adapted to force said heads into sealed engagement with the ports of one head in register With the ports of the other head, a valve adapted to control the flow of fluid to said pressure responsive means, means for automatically opening said valve to admit -fluid pressure to said pressure responsive means when said ports are in alignment, and manually operable means for rendering said valve opening means inoperative.

2. ln combination with a train pipe coupler, a supporting member extending from the car frame having a pivot and an arcuate guide rail portion, a second member adapted to carry a coupler head secured to said supporting member by said pivot and having means cooperating with said guide rail whereby it Will freely move therealong about said pivot, and means tending to maintain said second member and the coupler head carried thereby centrally of said supporting member.

3. In a train pipe coupler, a supporting member extending from the. car frame having a pivot and an arcuate guide rail portion of Z-shape cross section, a second member adapted to carry a coupler head secured to said supporting member at said pivot, rollers on said second member engaging opposite sides of said guide rail, an opening through the vertical Web or" said guide rail, a pair of arms mounted upon said pivot er.- tending through said opening and engaging stops upon said second member beyond said guide rail, and a spring between said arms tending to hold them into engagement With the ends of said opening` and said stops, whereby said coupler Will be held centrally of said supporting member. l

4. In combination With a train pipe coupler of the type having interlocking elements, support. for the couplerhead, means whereby the coupler head may movel With respectJ to said support V.when under tension,

*fluidy pressure vmeans for' holding said coupler khead in cooperativeY relation "with a. similareoupler head, and lautomatic*ineims carried by said coupler adapted to be 4ope-rat?l ed by said, support to release said pressure responsive holdin-g means when kthe movement of said coupler V.Withrespect to said supi port becomes eXcessive,xto thereby permit separationof the cooperating coupler heads) 5; ln a train` pipe coupler system, a Vcoupler head 'havingports adapted to cooperate v With similar ports upon a cooperating coupler head, a fluid pressure responsive means Y adapted'to force said ports into sealed en'u gagement, a valve adapted to controlthe flow Vof fluid to said'pressure responsive means, n means for automatically openingsaid valve-fl to admit fluid pressure to said pressure re'-` sponsive means When said ports areinalignment, Amanually operable meansvfor rendering said ,last-mentioned` means 1 inoperative,

, in alignment:` l i 7. In vcombinationJvith al train pipe ,cou-T manual means Whensaid coupler head and means for automatically operatingplaced undereX'cessive tension. 6. In a train pipe coupler, the combination of a coupler head having anextendingpor; tion with ports thereinV adapted to project into a recess of a corresponding coupler head,

a member extending lengthwise along said projecting portion adapted to move out. Wardly therefrom and engage the side of the recess of the cooperating'coupler to hold the ports ofy the .couplers into sealedA engagement, and means for automatically moving said member outwardly `when said'ports are pler` head,v a link-forming a one-pointsuspension Vfor said .coupler head, a plane vertical surface upon said-coupler ing at right anglesv to its axis, and yielding labutmentsengaging said plane surface at vertically and horizontally displaced points, whereby said head isyieldingly held in a hori- Zontalposition upon said link; i

8. In a train pipe Acoupler head having ports adapted to align With-A similarports upon' a cooperating coupler head, apartitio'n insaid coupler head bet-Ween thevports and a fluid supply, a valvev in said. partition adapted to open when said ports are in alignment,

-means carri'edby said coupler' foriorcing said ports intimately together, and apiston Within said-*couplerliead on the'port side of' said valve adapted to cooperate With ani-:il move said means when' said valve is A"'opened.

9; In a train pipecoupler system, the combination of ar pair'off cooperating 'coupler heads having corresponding ports adapted to align and orm1ajconduit for fluidv therethrough, a hinged `guide means upon'said couplerheads for! guiding and holding them saidy heady extendi intoeooperati'ng relation, a locking means for securing said hingedguide means jand means for actuating said locking means Wherebysaid guide means can be unlocked and moved away from said heads `to permit inspection and repair thereof.l I f s 10. In a train pipe coupler system, the combination of a pair of cooperating 'coupler heads having corresponding ports-.adapted teal-ign and foi-in a conduit for a fluid-itherethrough, valves within said couplerheads mounted-upon stems which project 4veut-zer"y said heads adapted to control the flow ofiiuid through said portsabutments upon each oi'y j saidv coupler heads against Which said valve stems vabut arraiigedtofopen said valves When the coupler heads are engaged,means Where,-

by Vone Vof saidabutments may be movedout of engagement Wirth ,its cooperating valve stem-and means forA closing thevalve of said stem- ,ater such movementrand Whilefsaid coupler heads are engaged.

f ll.: In faV train pipe, coup-len system, :the

combination of apair of cooperating coupler `hea/ds having corresponding ports. adapted 1.90

to align and form a'conduitffora 'fluidther-e-1 through, V'valves Within said coupler heads mounted upon 1 stemsjvvhichproject out of said heads adaptedto control the flowof fluid-through said ports, abutments upon each of said coupler heads `against which said v'valve stems abut arrangedto open said valves when the coupler headsare engaged, a lplate carried by eachof said coupler heads extending substantially-over; the outside surface thereof adapted to be moved outwardly-therefrom and into engagementwiththe cooperating co'uplerl-tojforce the aligned parts of the coupler headsinto sealed-engagemei-it, and a fluid responsive vmeans adapted to torce said plate. outwardly When couplers are engaged and said valves opened.

ioo

l2? Ill .21. talll 'Plpe coupler "system having y' coupler heafds With ports 'inthe sidestheref-v ofwhicli slide into alignment with eac-li other, gaskets in said ports projecting slightlyk bee yond the coupler face,a-.Wearing-plate ar ranged in advance fof said AgasketsonA each head and presenting-asurfaceiraisedwith re;

,spectto vthe' gaskets,- said Wearing vplate being tapered off at "said gasket whereby the..y adjacentgasket Willengage ,with an labutf tingmovement fratherthanavith a sliding movemei'it.j.,.ql i

V13S-In a'trainJ-pipe"coupler. system, the

the couplerheadsffare engaged, ay fluid pressure operated expansion device in each of said heads adapted to operate when said valves are opened to force the ports of the cooperating coupler heads into sealed engagement, said expansion device including a fixed plate, bearing port orifices, a movable plate, bearing cooperating port orifices and means actuated by a train line valve stem, to cause one of said plates to expand to intimately contact With and to effect continuity in said ports, means whereby one of said abutments may be moved out of engagement with its cooperating valve stem and means for closing the valve of said stem after such movement and While said coupler heads are engaged, whereby said fluid pressure device may be rendered inoperative and thus facilitate disengagement of said coupler heads.

14. In a train pipe coupler system, the combination of a pair of cooperating coupler heads having corresponding ports adapted to align and form a conduit for a fluid therethrough, valves Within said coupler heads mounted upon stems which project out of said heads adapted to control the flovv of `fiuid through said ports, abutments upon each of said coupler heads against which ysaid valve stems abut arranged to open said valves When the coupler heads are engaged, a fluid pressure operated expansion device in each of said heads adapted to operate when said valves are opened to force the ports of the cooperating coupler heads into sealed engagement, said expansion device including a train line valve stem actuated piston and means actuated by said piston to effect expansion of a movable plate into intimate Contact with a cooperating member, means whereby one of said abutments may be moved out of engagement with its cooperating valve stem and means for closing the valve of said stem after such movement and while said coupler heads are engaged, whereby said fluid pressure device may be rendered inoperative and thus facilitate disengagement of said coupler heads.

l5. In a train pipe coupler system, the combination of a pair of cooperating coupler heads having corresponding ports adapted to align and form a conduit for a fluid 'therethrough, valves Within said coupler heads mounted upon stems which project out of said heads adapted. to control the flow of fluid through said ports, abutments upon each of said coupler heads against which said valve stems abut arranged toopen said Valves when the coupler heads are engaged, a fluid pressure operated expansion device in each of said heads adapted to operate when said valves are opened to force the ports of the cooperating coupler heads into sealed engagement, said expansion device including a train line, valve stem, a piston movable with said valve stem, rollers journalled on said piston, a fixed plate, a movable plate having angularly positioned racevvays thereon, said rollers being adapted to move over said raceways to cause outward movement of said movable plate to cooperate with said v 

